The War Terror eBook

“The same way. They both carry it.
I won’t go into the Mendelian law on the subject.
We are clearing up much that is obscure. But
as to Burroughs, he should marry, if at all, some one
without that particular taint. I believe that
in a few generations by proper mating most taints
might be bred out of families.”

Maude Schofield evidently did not agree with Dr. Crafts
on some point, and, noticing it, he seemed to be in
the position both of explaining his contention to
us and of defending it before his fair assistant.

“It is my opinion, as far as I have gone with
the data,” he added, “that there is hope
for many of those whose family history shows certain
nervous taints. A sweeping prohibition of such
marriages would be futile, perhaps injurious.
It is necessary that the mating be carefully made,
however, to prevent intensifying the taint. You
see, though I am a eugenist I am not an extremist.”

He paused, then resumed argumentatively: “Then
there are other questions, too, like that of genius
with its close relation to manic depressive insanity.
Also, there is decrease enough in the birth rate,
without adding an excuse for it. No, that a young
man like Atherton should take the subject seriously,
instead of spending his time in wild dissipation,
like his father, is certainly creditable, argues in
itself that there still must exist some strength in
his stock.

“And, of course,” he continued warmly,
“when I say that weakness in a trait—­not
in all traits, by any means—­should marry
strength and that strength may marry weakness, I don’t
mean that all matches should be like that. If
we are too strict we may prohibit practically all
marriages. In Atherton’s case, as in many
another, I felt that I should interpret the rule as
sanely as possible.”

“Strength should marry strength, and weakness
should never marry,” persisted Maude Schofield.
“Nothing short of that will satisfy the true
eugenist.”

“Theoretically,” objected Crafts.
“But Atherton was going to marry, anyhow.
The only thing for me to do was to lay down a rule
which he might follow safely. Besides, any other
rule meant sure disaster.”

“It was the only rule with half a chance of
being followed and at any rate,” drawled Kennedy,
as the eugenists wrangled, “what difference
does it make in this case? As nearly as I can
make out it is Mrs. Atherton herself, not Atherton,
who is ill.”

Maude Schofield had risen to return to supervising
a clerk who needed help. She left us, still unconvinced.

“That is a very clever girl,” remarked
Kennedy as she shut the door and he scanned Dr. Crafts’
face dosely.

“Very,” assented the Doctor.

“The Schofields come of good stock?” hazarded
Kennedy.

“Very,” assented Dr. Crafts again.

Evidently he did not care to talk about individual
cases, and I felt that the rule was a safe one, to
prevent Eugenics from becoming Gossip. Kennedy
thanked him for his courtesy, and we left apparently
on the best of terms both with Crafts and his assistant.